Butler was the NFL's most dangerous all-purpose safety for much of the 1990s. If not for Schlereth's many health problems that included 29 surgeries, 15 on his left knee alone, he would have been a perennial Pro Bowl selection. And then there is Kent Hull, the first center to achieve greatness in a no-huddle offense. Arizona Cardinals: Dan Dierdorf. He picked off a dozen passes in his career two of them at 38 years of age an absurd number for a 6-foot-4, 265-pound lineman. Now that's underrated. Developing a rapport with new QB Trevor Lawrence should only help Shenault quickly reach his true potential. Some might say it's a stretch to put Allen on this list after four straight Pro Bowl seasons and 95+ catch seasons. According to Next Gen Stats, Johnson averaged 3.6 yards of separation for each target during his rookie season, the most of any receiver in football. 'Nuff said, right? Robertson is so poorly remembered that it was hard to find a decent photo of him in our archives. After spending a season on the practice squad and injured-reserve with the Jets, Franklin-Myers made the most of his opportunities as a rotational player throughout most of 2020, leading to a starting role in 2021 and a massive $55M extension. Neal Anderson replaced Walter Payton. The Rams eventually acquired Jim Everett and opened up their offense, transforming Ellard into one of the NFL's most dangerous deep threats. He had 44 career sacks and as many as eight in a season on two occasions. Super Bowl victories? Krieg was a career overachiever who survived 19 seasons on modest talent with defense-driven teams. One of the greatest defenders of his era reduced to stuntman status in Campbell's action movieall it takes is a moment to make a player underrated forever. Only a dozen players have more career interception return yards (961), and seven of them are in the Hall of Fame. That makes sense: Both started their careers late, played with workhorse running backs, won a championship and had their careers curtailed by vicious hits. The start to his career is Hall of Fame worthy and includes a Super Bowl championship while with the New England Patriots. WebTop 20 Most Underrated NFL Players of All Time 20 Drew Brees. His stardom was spread among three teams, robbing him of local hero status (or Hall of Fame momentum) in any one city. Let's hope the fame doesn't go to his head. Butler has never even been a Hall of Fame semifinalist, and it's not going to happen for him soon. Norton made the key play of the game in the second period, when he stood up Buffalo Bills back Kenneth Davis mere inches from the goal line. Dierdorf started his career with the Cardinals in 1971 as a guard. But Brown was a unique and underappreciated player for over a decade on a team that nearly revolutionized the way football is played. Lets hear some "un-der-ra-ted!" Bowman makes this list because he has the makings of a player who will be underappreciated historically. In his prime, Wright was often mentioned in the same breath as Hall of Famers Mel Blount and Mike Haynes. Why retain an expensive vestige of the last regime, or really the last three regimes? McLaurins numbers through two-plus seasons are very similar to Stefon Diggs, who went through a similar quarterback situation early during his career in Minnesota. Steve Atwater. Waller overcame addiction and his suspension to emerge in 2019, catching 90 passes for 1,145 yards and three touchdowns while starting all 16 games for the Raiders. One of the greatest defenders in the history of a storied franchise, Young is just another victim of bad timing when it comes to getting the reputation he deserves. He's also among the top 100 in games started (83rd), interception return yardage (89th) and interception return touchdowns (31st). For more information, please read our Legal Disclaimer. Ellard was an Antonio Brown-level talent in his prime, but his teams were in no hurry to get him the ball. He is also proficient with his right foot and is a versatile player who can play multiple positions in the attacking third of the pitch. WebThis list is for those players the ones who were great football players and did not get the credit they deserve. Not one of the Jim Harbaugh-era guys. In the nine seasons that Aaron Smith had double-digit starts, their D ranked among the top nine in yards allowed every time, but his consistent play went over the heads of many. 1 overall pick, NFL coverage map 2021: TV schedule Week 16, Seattle Seahawks: 3 players who wont be back in 2022. McDole was a starting defensive end for two of history's legendary defenses: the AFL champion Buffalo Bills of 1964 and '65 and Washington's "Over-the-Hill Gang" of the early 1970s. "That was my territory," Edwards recalled in The Palm Beach Post. Turned out he was skilled and driven enough to be a champion. The Bucs hired head coach Jon Gruden and won Super Bowl XXXVII the next season. Arizona Cardinals: Kelvin Beachum, OT. Fred Warner gets a lot of attention at linebacker for the 49ers, but Dre Greenlaw flies under theradar as a young playmaker quickly on the rise. In Dierdorfs second to last season, the Cardinals were embarrassed by the Packers 41-16 in their playoff opener. As a pass blocker, Moton has developed into a steady presence capable of holding his own, and at times even dominating top pass rushers that include Joey Bosa and Cameron Jordan. Robertson's Rams made a habit of reaching the playoffs every year and losing to the Vikings or Cowboys. Buckner earned his first All-Pro honors in 2020 and still has plenty of untapped potential to take his game to another level at just 27 years old. Seven times, he surpassed 1,000 yards on pass receptions, most of them on slants and corner routes. Thats what Krieg did best win football games. Yes, Marshall amassed that sack total by playing foreverhe started270 games (plus 19 playoff starts) from 1961 through 1979. The correct answer is Player A (Ken Stabler), and if youre Player B (Brodie), you have to wonder if one Super Bowl should make that much difference. That's where the politics of Hall voting come in. Anderson's 1,000-yard seasons came in a primitive offense with a rudimentary passing game. Time has been hard on both of them. For years, the team couldn't even harken back to its glory days properly, as Smith's Pride of the Jaguars induction was delayed until he was sober and no longer under house arrest. He led his team to an NFL championship. It's not that Ellard, an Olympic-caliber triple-jumper with 4.4 speed, didn't know what he was doing. Jackson probably helped you win a fantasy title or two, but he would be remembered for so much more if he wasn't always on the wrong team at the wrong time. By the time Rivers is retired for five years, the "San Diego Chargers" will be as relevant as the Dayton Triangles, and Hall voters will be too busy rubber-stamping Tom Brady and Drew Brees to get to a guy from a lost city who couldn't win the big one. During his first four seasons, three with the Ravens and one in Oakland, Waller caught just 18 passes on 29 targets while also being suspended all of 2017. Bottom line: Derrick Mason was among the shrewdest, most precise route runners of his time. An undrafted quarterback out of the late Milton College (Wisconsin), Krieg got them to the postseason four times and the AFC championship game once. The Niners' willingness to spend big money on a long-term deal at fullback demonstrates the value and unique skill set Juszczyk provides. It's hard for a running back to be underrated. On the field, it is Diontae Johnson that has emerged as a favorite target of Big Ben. But the former NFL Man of the Year award winner and two-time All-Pro should not have had to wait so long. He played center, as well, before his career was over. There are a ton of names in the conversation for best offensive linemen of all time, but Dierdorf McDole is not known for much of anything anymore, as his AFL stardom came before the Super Bowl era and his Redskins heroics predated the era of Joe Gibbs and the Hogs. He also had some of the clutch gene. More than one scout considered Turner to be too light to play linebacker, too slow to play defensive back. Put Ellard in another era or even the AFC with an accomplished quarterback, and his legacy as The Best Wideout Not Named Jerry Rice would be that much greater. Perhaps Hull would be in the Hall of Fame if the Bills had won even one Super Bowl. In Jahri Evans' four All-Pro seasons (2009-12), the Saints ranked first, sixth, first and second in the NFL in total yards. They were the Yale football of the NFL, their glory years moldering in history books. Fletcher followed Gregg Williams from coaching stop to coaching stop, serving as the sometimes controversial, always effective defensive mastermind's field marshal. Young played for the teams that slowly slid from George Seifert to Steve Mariucci to oblivion. And he played in one stinking Pro Bowl game. The difference between the great and the all-time great is often a matter of timing and luck. Fifteen years ago, similar receivers were gimmicky undersized role players. There's underrated, underappreciated and overlooked. He rose to Pro Bowl status playing left tackle for a single-back, Joe Gibbs-style 1980s offense. As for being so underrated he's overrated, wellthat's extremely underrated, which justifies Anderson's ranking here. Mason's 95-catch, 1,200-yard seasons translate to 115-catch monsters in more pass-oriented schemes. It takes years of playing the wrong position for the wrong team in the wrong league at the wrong time. Hall of Fame receiver Paul Warfield was on the receiving end of many of Ryan's touchdowns. The career active leader in games started by a defensive lineman is Julius Peppers with 227. While every fan base is sure to have two or three names they feel are undervalued and worthy of this list, here are my current top ten underrated players in the NFL. Bottom line: The 49ers of the 1980s are remembered most for Joe Montana and Jerry Rice, coach Bill Walsh and the West Coast offense. MVP-caliber seasons (1,528 yards, 90 receptions, 16 total touchdowns in 2006) early in his career gave way to annual 1,100-1,200 yard, low-touchdown grinds as the Greatest Show Rams retired one by one and the team fell to 2-14 and 1-15. So whaddya say, fans? Finally, at last, the cornerback was selected to play in his first Pro Bowl game as some kind of lifetime achievement award. His 65 interceptions are fifth most in NFL history. Shenault is dynamic after the catch and plays like a running back with the ball in his hands.

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